All we've said and done
by Efcia
Summary: When they first meet Mal first thought about Dominic Cobb wasn't a nice one.  "What an asshole!", she thought actually.  A look on origins of Mal and Dom, as long as Arthur's story
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, another Inception story. I know that I have "Confusion" unfinished, but this idea just popped in my head and I had to sit down and write it. Beside I need some sort of springboard from writing angst.**

**Just to make it clear: Everything in italics is dream. I decided also to write every dream in present tense, no matter, when it takes place: in past or present.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Inception. I just borrow some characters to play with them, putting them in my plot.**

**(Hopefully) enjoy!**

**And please- if you read, leave review!**

**Now**

Mal wakes up suddenly, not sure what actually thrown her from dream. It's only seconds later when she realize; her mobile phone is ringing. Ringing in the middle of the night.

Mal grabs it quickly and froze for a moment.

The person, who's calling is Dominic Cobb.

Sure, they're have same sort of relationship, they're working together after all, but still it gives Dom no rights to call her at 3 am!

She finally answered call her voice sounds reluctantly even in her own ears.

"Hallo."

"Mal! God thanks, I thought you wouldn't answer!", Dom's voice is filled with mix of relief and something else, something indeterminate. Fear?

"What do you want? Why are you calling to me in the middle of the night?", Mal asks angrily.

"Because I need your help."

* * *

**5 months ago**

When they first meet Mal first thought about Dominic Cobb wasn't a nice one.

"What an asshole!", she thought actually.

It wasn't strange considering how he looked down on her with patronizing smirk on his lips. He flipped through her papers like they were nothing, like she didn't have to spend endless hours of learning and training to got them.

"Really impressive achievements.", he said, but in Mal's ears it sounded more like an insult than compliment. Before she could say anything he gestured towards tiny couch staying in the corner of the room.

"Shall we?", he asked with this infuriating smile.

Mal glared at him. "I'd rather stay here.", she answered trying to sound politely.

"Really?", his smile became a little broader. "As you wish, but it'd be more comfortable to dream on couch rather than on chair."

"We're going under?", Mal exclaimed surprised.

"Of course, we're going under.", he answered with a glint of superiority in his voice. "How am I suppose to check if you really can do anything?" He caught her glancing of her diplomas and certificates laying on desk and sighted.

"I want to see what you can do in five minutes, ok?", he asked for the first time looking at her eyes and finally without this smile of his on lips. Mal couldn't help to notice that his eyes was _amazingly_ blue. Exactly in her favorite shade.

She smiled. "Only five minutes?", she asked. "Really, there is no way to show at least half of things I can do in this amount of time.", she added putting a needle in her wrist.

The picture of surprised and somehow amused Cobb was the last one she saw, before the dream began.

* * *

_Mal is staying with her eyes closed, feeling the warmth of sun on her cheeks. She knows exactly what she'll see, when she opens her eyes._

_The panorama of city._

_But not just an accidental city. Her city, which she has been building almost since her first experience with dream sharing. Her secret masterpiece, still unfinished. She's not sure why she decided to show it to Cobb. She suspects that it has to have something with his patronizing smile. She doesn't want to see the "I knew it" look in his eyes. She doesn't want to hear: "Sorry, but you're not the person I'm looking for"._

_She opens her eyes when he reaches her. One short glance in his direction is enough._

_She's sure, she won't hear that._

* * *

Waking up from sedative induced dream was always unpleasant for Mal. That time she also woke up with her usually desperate gasping for air and stayed still for a moment to regain her composure. She could feel Cobb's intense gaze, but didn't look at him.

"You need to get used to that.", he said finally. "I don't want to keep wondering if you're ok every time we'll end dreaming."

Mal raised her head vehemently.

"It means I'm in?", she asked.

"Yes, you're in", Cobb answered and stretched out his hand. "Welcome to the world of dream sharing business."

Mal shook his hand before smiling broadly and standing up.

"We still have some papers work to do.", Cobb's words stopped her. "Shall we go somewhere to coffee?"

Mal thought for a moment. Going anywhere with Cobb wasn't really alluring idea, but still she was working with him since now, so she has to used to him. Spending afternoon with Cobb in some café would be much more nicer, than spending afternoon with Cobb in his office, after all.

"Sure.", she answered. "Why not?"

The café, Cobb lead her in, was amazingly cozy. She could even pretend that she's still in her hometown, Paris, not in some strange American city. What was more surprising coffee served there was delicious; Mal was already losing her hope for drinking decant coffee in this country. She took small sip of her drink delighting in its taste. All paperwork was already done, documents laying neatly in manila folder, but they still sat together. Mal wasn't sure what's really keeping her there.

"Can I ask you something?", Mal finally decided. She wanted to ask him this question since the first time she heard about his offer.

Cobb looked at her and narrowed slightly his sky- blue eyes.

"You can try.", he answered nonchalantly, which lighted her anger once again.

"You're an architect.", she said watching him carefully. "Why did you look for another architect?". There was a tone of accusation in her voice, she knew that.

"It didn't seem to bother you, while you show me your city.", Cobb observed lazily.

Mal glanced at him angrily.

"We're partners in work from now.", she announced. "It gives me the right to know such things."

Cobb sighted and shifted hand through his hair.

"It's because of creation.", he said at last.

"Creation?", Mal was bewildered. "What you mean by it?"

"I'm training people in subconscious security.."

"I know. That's why I answered for your offer", Mal snorted.

"And sometimes is hard to teach create and teach people by myself.", Cobb continued patiently. "I can't imagine myself working with somebody, who has no imagination, so I decided to start looking for an architect. Beside the imagination, that was the only way to find somebody, who actually would understand the act of pure creation."

"You don't believe that other people can understand it?", Mal asked curiously.

"I don't know.", Cobb shrugged. "But there's no point in wasting my time for people like that. I needed an architect.", he looked her critically and Mal, no matter how bold she was, felt a little uneasy.

"And I found much more than just architect.", Cobb added. "I found somebody with real talent."

Mal blushed slightly at this and didn't answered. The rest of their meeting they spend in peaceful silence.

Maybe working with Cobb won't be so bad, after all, thought Mal opening door leading to her rented flat.

* * *

**Now**

"Help?", Mal can't believe her own ears. "You need my help at 3 am? Dom, are you crazy?"

"Look, Mal I'm close to your flat. Could just come here?"

"Nothing is close at 3 in the morning", Mal snorts. "God, just tell me what happened!"

Dom sighs heavily and stays silent for a moment.

"I've done something incredibly stupid. I need you, please. Please, Mal, help me.", Cobb sounds so desperately that Mal shakes her head and gives up.

"Fine. Tell me where you are exactly."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For those who read the first chapter and wanted to read next ones: sorry for this huge delay! Anyway, here's finally the next chapter and I hope you'll like it.**

**4 months and 2 weeks ago**

„Dad, you could warn me.", Mal said with half-smile, precisely slicing tomatoes. She was sitting in warm kitchen in her parent house and helped them preparing the dinner.

Miles raised his eyebrow with surprise. "Warn you? Against what exactly?"

"Rather against who.", Mal snorted. "Cobb, of course!"

"Ma cherie, you don't like your job?", Mal's mother asked worriedly, while her father eyed her suspiciously.

"Oh, it's marveilleux!", Mal protested fervently. "But I don't know what to think about Cobb. Outside the Dream he's pretty obnoxious, so self-confident that he reaches the edge of haughtiness, really. But in Dreams…"

Miles stifled the chuckle. "That's true, he can be irritating, but you'll use to that, I'm sure. He just need to come around to you."

Mal shook her head and takes another tomatoes. "It's rather me who need to use to him."

"I'm sure you'll both get on with each other soon.", Miles stated firmly and Mal didn't find the strength to deny.

It was not that she didn't like Cobb at all. Sharing Dreams with him was an unusual and wonderful experience, but in the same time, he was able to pissed her completely off.

He was so sure about his abilities and so dead sure that only some sort of people should have the access to Dream's world that sometimes it scared her. And, what was worse, made her also proud of herself.

Proud because Cobb decided that she was worth Dreaming with her.

The second Dream she shared with Cobb was oh so different that the first one and it was still clear in her mind. That time Cobb was the dreamer and she was so impatient to see his creation that she came to his office almost twenty minutes earlier than she was supposed.

He just raised his eyebrows and flashed at her with this infuriating smile of his, before pulling out the PASIV and offering her the needle.

She welcomed the familiar sense of sedatives with smile.

* * *

_She opens her eyes in wide and crowded city' street and with the sense of panic observes the yellow cab driving straight at her. In the last second someone grabs her and pulls aside._

"_Being run over by own projection would be definitely the most interesting death I've ever seen in my life.", she hears a familiar voice._

_Cobb, of course. Who else could it be?_

"_So why didn't you let me die, since you found it so amusant?", she snaps angrily, speaking partially French, as always when she's agitated._

_Cobb smiles at her, this time without the slightest hint of teasing. "Because I invited you on completely another purpose. Looks around, please."_

_She shakes her head in frustration but obeys._

_There's city around her. It's so much like her and nothing like her in the same time. The buildings are mostly similar, but the atmosphere is entirely different; this city is alive, even though there're only projections of her subconscious walking on the streets._

_She gasps unwillingly with admiration; none of her creation has ever been so real. _

"_This is my city.", Cobb announces and this time the clear pride she hears in his voice doesn't bother her at all. He has to be proud of himself. She doesn't say anything in answer, sure that the look in her eyes tells him much more than any words could._

_She stares a little longer, before finally taking her from all this miracles and looks at him._

"_It's something I wanted to ask you.", she says quietly, as frightened that a louder tone would destroy the city around them._

"_So ask.", Cobb shrugs._

"_Why aren't you working with psychologist? Every single team I've heard about has a psychologist in its make-up."_

_Cobb smirks at her words. "I told you already I won't work anybody without imagination. I don't feel like looking for psychologist who would understand all of this.", with that he gestures on the sight around them._

_It makes Mal feeling a little uneasy, but she decides to not coming back to this topic._

_

* * *

_

"Mal, are you asleep?", Miles asked with laughter and she opens her eyes, coming back from the Dream world to the warm interior of her parent's kitchen.

"A little jet-lagged, I guess.", she answered, not really wanting them to know her thoughts.

Beside, the flight New York- Paris isn't really the short one.

"Fillette, my dear, maybe you should rest?", Mal's mother asked gently and she nods her head. That's probably the best solution.

Before she curled on the bed, she checked her phone and forced down the slight hint of disappointment.

There was no sign from Cobb at all.

* * *

**Now**

Mal curses under her breath as she sits in her car and tries to start the engine. It likes to make an ugly surprises and doesn't work, but, hopefully, this time she manages to start it without biggest problems.

Cobb didn't lie to her, he's really close to her home, only five minutes by car.

He leans on his car, when she comes, one car's door open.

He greets her with such nervousness that makes her feel uneasy.

"So what's happened?", she asks impatiently.

"I was driving.", Cobb says slowly and with a hint of disbelief she smells alcohol in his breath.

"Wait,", she interrupts him firmly. "You were driving drunk?"

"Yes.", Cobb admits. "And there's where problem lays…", he gestures helplessly toward the car and that's when Mal finally notices.

There's somebody laying motionless on the back seat of the car.

* * *

**4 months ago**

Mal enters the office without earlier knocking, as she used to do it during last month. She and Cobb are partners at work, after all. She's happy to be in New York again, not only because of Dreaming.

She has to admit that she slightly missed Cobb's infuriating smile.

She freezes at the door frame, feeling incredibly stupid.

There's Cobb kissing fiercely a blonde girl, who responds with enthusiasm.

"Khem.", Mal manages to spit out.

They finally break their kiss, not ashamed at all.

"Caroline, meet Mal, my co-worker. Mal it's Caroline.", he introduces and both women glares at each other for a couple of seconds before shaking hands.

Mal is unpleasantly surprised; she shouldn't be, it's Cobb' business who he's meeting with, but this sophisticated looking blonde doesn't suit him.

Nor this passionate kiss in the work place.

"See you later?", Caroline says in half-asking tone.

"Of course.", he answers immediately and smiles, before turning to Mal.

"Hello, how journey?", he asks politely, opening the cabinet in which his PASIV device is stored.

"Fine.", Mal snaps, making him look at her.

"Something happened in home? Is Miles fine?", he inquires, the hint of anxiety in his voice. It makes Mal feel slightly embarrassed; Cobb didn't commit any crime, after all and she has no reason to be angry at him.

"Everything is fine, really and dad sends regards to you. I'm just a little on the edge after all this flying.", she explains hurriedly and takes the needle in her slim fingers. "Shall we?"

The Dream falling over her feels like blessing.

* * *

**Now**

"Enculé!", Mal isn't able to stifle the swear word and quickly steppes closer to the car.

It's a young man, an ugly and bleeding gash on his temple.

"You knocked him down by the car? And then call me? Are you crazy?", she yells angrily in the same time checking the young man pulse.

"I can't lose my driving license and… Mal, your mother's a doctor, I though you could know what to do.", he says hurriedly.

"Of course I know! Call the ambulance, you fils de pute!", she reaches for her phone, but Cob catches her hand with plead in his eyes.

Mal is extremely angry, but deep down she knows that something had to happen to make him act so strange. She wishes she would be more assertive, but can't refuse those incredibly blue eyes.

"Give me the keys.", she commends and sits behind the steering wheel of Cobb's car with a strong sense of uneasiness.

"At least tell me who he is.", she says sternly, turning to her street.

Cobb rubs his temple. "I don't know really, he just sort of appeared in front of the car.", he admits. "All I know after checking his documents that his name is Arthur. Arthur Callahan."


End file.
